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Charactersitic of public policy making

The meaning and nature of public policy will become more clear by throwing light on

different characteristic of public policy. Some of the major characteristic of public policy

making are :

Public policy making is a very complex process. Policy making involves many

components. Which are interconnected by communication and feedback loops and which

interact in different ways. Some parts of the process are eplicit and directly observable!

but many others proceed through hidden channels that the officials themselves are often

impossible to observe. Thus! guidelines are often formed by a series of single decisions

that result in a "policy# without any one of teh decision makers being aware of the

process.

It is a dynamic process. Policy making is a process! that is a continuing activity taking

place within a structure$ for sustuinance! it re%uires a continuing input of resources and

motivation. &t is a dynamic process! which change with time! the se%uence of its sub'

processes and phases vary internally and with respect to each other.

Policy making comprise various component. The complecity of public policy making

as we know! is an important characteristic of policy making. Public policy formulation

foten involves a great variety of substructures. The identity of these substructure and the

degree of their involvement in policy making! vary because of different issues!

circumstance and societal values.

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Policy structure makes different contribution. This characteristic suggest that every

substructure makes different! and sometimes uni%ue! contribution to public policy. What

sort of contribution substructure make! depends in part on their formal and informal

characteristic which vary from society to society.

Decision making. Policy making is a species of decision'making because it lets us use

decision'making models for dealing with policy making

Lays down major guidelines. Public policy! in most cases! lays down general directives!

rather tahn detailed instruction! on the main lines of action to be followed. (fter main

lines of action have been decided on! detiled sub policies that translate the general theory

into more concrete terms are usually needed to eecute it.

Result in action. )ecision making can result in action. &n changes in the decision'making

itself! or both or neither. The policies of most socially significant decision'making! such

as most public policy making are intended to result in action. (lso policies directed at the

policy making apparatus itself such as efficiency drives in government are action

oriented.

Directed at the future. Policy'making is directed at the future. This is one of its most

important characteristic since it introduces the ever'present elements of uncertainty and

doubtful prediction that establish the basic tone of nearly all policy making.

(ctual policy making tends to formulate policies in vague and elastic terms$ because the

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furture is so uncertain. &t permits policy makers to adjust their policy according to

emerging facts and enablethem to guard against unforeseen ciscumstances.

ainly formulated by government organs. Public policy is also directed in part! at

private person and non government structure! as when it calls for a law prohibiting a

certain type of behaviour or eppeals to citi*ens to engange in private saving. +ur public

policy! in mostcases is primarily directed at governmental organs and only intermediately

and secondarily at other factors.

!ims at achieving what is in the public interest. ,owever difficult it might be to find

out what the "public interset# may completely refer to! the term never the less conveys the

ideas of a "general# orientation and seems therefore to be important and sifnificant!.

-urthermore! there is good evidence that the image of "public interest# influence the

public policy making process and is therefore at least! as conceived by the various public

policy making units! a real/ phenomenon! and an important operational tool for the

study of policy making.

"se of best possible means. &n abstract terminology! public policy making aims at

achieving the maimum net benefit. +enefits and costs take in part the form of realised

values and impaired values! respectively! and cannot in most cases be epressed in

commensurable units. 0fteb! %uantitative tecni%uea can therefore not be used in this area

of public policy making but neither the %ualitative significance of maimum net benefits

as an aim nor the necessity to think broadly about alternative public policies in term or

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benefits and costs is therefore reduced.

Involvement of various bodies#agencies. &ndustrial worker! voters! intelectuals!

legislators! bureaucrats! political parties! political eecutives! judiciary etc. (re the

various organs that participate in public policy making and can influence the policy

process to a great etent.